ABA Awards CA2 Nominee Menashi Highest Rating of ‘Well Qualified’

It’s rare, if not unprecedented, that the ABA’s judicial-evaluations committee exceeds my expectations. But it has done so in awarding Second Circuit nominee Steven Menashi its highest rating of “well qualified.”*

As the ABA committee’s Backgrounder explains, in order to receive a “well qualified” rating, a nominee “must be at the top of the legal profession in his or her legal community; have outstanding legal ability, breadth of experience, and the highest reputation for integrity; and demonstrate the capacity for sound judicial temperament.” Given the smears that Menashi has been subjected to, I will highlight that in evaluating a nominee’s judicial temperament, the committee considers the nominee’s “freedom from bias and commitment to equal justice under the law.” Let’s hope that the ABA’s rating puts an end to the smears.

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Menashi’s confirmation hearing takes place tomorrow.

* A majority of the committee rated Menashi “well qualified,” while a minority rated him “qualified.” As the committee’s letter states, “The majority rating represents the Standing Committee’s official rating.”

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